Petition against same-sex marriage

Petition against same-sex marriage

David Cameron is to face a mass petition opposing plans to launch a "hostile strike" on the traditional view of marriage, campaigners have said.

Published 20th February 2012

Lord Carey said neither the state nor the church have the right to redefine marriage 'in such a fund

Christian groups backed by former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey said they are sending 175,000 emails which will invite people to sign a petition opposing the introduction of same-sex marriage.

The group Coalition for Marriage (C4M) has said the Government has no democratic mandate to introduce the legislation and has betrayed a promise made by the last Labour administration to maintain a distinction between civil partnerships and marriage.

Lord Carey described plans to introduce same-sex marriage as a "hostile strike" and an act of "cultural and theological vandalism" against an institution dating back thousands of years.

"The avowed intention to widen the scope of marriage as we see before us is a hostile strike, which rather than strengthening marriage will destroy its meaning and diminish its importance drastically," he told a news conference in central London.

The campaign, which has the backing of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, is opposed to Government plans to legislate for same-sex marriages by 2015.

A public consultation on how to make civil marriage available to same-sex couples is to be launched next month. The launch of the campaign was supported by Fiona Bruce, MP for Congleton and David Burrowes, MP for Enfield, Southgate.

Mr Burrowes said he had received a "barrage of hostile hate-filled emails and tweets" including a death threat after publicity about his opposition to same-sex marriage.

"I have been subjected to hate mail, to accusations of homophobia and to a death threat as well which is extraordinary when one is affirming what the law is as it stands and has done historically," he said.

Gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell said: "The Coalition for Marriage is intolerant and out of touch. Its support for the ban on gay marriage is homophobic and discrimination."